Police say the 61-year-old motorist was suspected of DUI after a minivan struck pedestrians and food vendors near a Metro station.
LOS ANGELES — A 61-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and three counts of murder after police said his minivan left the roadway near a North Hollywood Metro station, killing three women and critically injuring two others.
The crash happened shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, near North Lankershim and Chandler boulevards during the evening rush. Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko of Valley Village. Authorities said a white Toyota Sienna was traveling south on Lankershim Boulevard at an unsafe speed before veering to the right, leaving the road and striking pedestrians and food vendors on the sidewalk.
Los Angeles Fire Department records show firefighters and paramedics were called at 5:55 p.m. to the 5300 block of North Lankershim Boulevard. Three people were determined to be dead at the scene. Fire officials initially reported that at least three additional patients were taken to hospitals in critical condition, while later police accounts said two women remained critically injured and Demianenko was treated for minor injuries.
Police said the three people killed were Hispanic women between 40 and 60 years old. The two surviving pedestrians were also Hispanic women, both in their 50s. Authorities had not publicly released the names of those killed as of Wednesday while the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner worked to notify their relatives.
The minivan struck people and property along the sidewalk before coming to a stop beneath a food vendor’s tent, according to police and news reports. Demianenko became trapped inside the vehicle and had to be removed before he was taken to a hospital. Police later arrested him after investigators developed evidence that led them to suspect he had been driving under the influence.
Demianenko was booked on suspicion of three counts of murder as well as felony DUI, according to police. Jail records cited by news organizations showed bail set at slightly more than $6 million. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the case had not yet been submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, meaning prosecutors had not publicly announced a formal charging decision.
Authorities have not said what substance they suspect may have impaired Demianenko or released toxicology results. Investigators also had not announced whether they believe the crash was intentional. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators planned a careful review of the evidence, including available video, as they worked to determine how the crash occurred.
The crash struck an area where pedestrians and street vendors routinely gather outside the busy North Hollywood transit station. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said those affected included both vendors and pedestrians and expressed condolences to their families. Witness accounts published by local news organizations described a chaotic scene after the vehicle entered the sidewalk area.
California law can allow prosecutors to pursue a murder case following a fatal impaired-driving crash under certain circumstances, but an arrest on suspicion of murder does not establish guilt. Authorities had not publicly disclosed whether Demianenko had an attorney who could respond to the allegations as of Wednesday.
The investigation remained active Wednesday as detectives reviewed evidence and authorities worked to formally identify the women who died. Police had not released a final account of what caused the minivan to leave the roadway, and the conditions of the two critically injured women had not been publicly updated.